Phlox plant named ‘Rose Sprite’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique cultivar of hybrid creeping  Phlox  named  Phlox  ‘Rose Sprite’ multi-stemmed, short, upright, slowly-spreading habit with clean, green, glossy, lanceolate to linear leaves with exceptional powdery mildew resistance. Flowers held above foliage on wine-colored stems with petals of rose-pink with white center halo and dark purple markings at center, nearly covering the top of the plant in peak flowering season about one week later than typical  Phlox subulata.  ‘Rose Sprite’ is especially useful as a containerized plant and for the flower garden as an specimen or en masse.

Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Rose Sprite’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(b)(6)

The first public disclosure of the claimed plant, in the form of a sale, was made by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Jul. 9, 2018. Prior to that, on Dec. 1, 2017 the claimed plant was displayed with photographs and brief description on a website of Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained the plant and all information relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Phlox ‘Rose Sprite’ have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more than one year prior the filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant, known as Phlox ‘Rose Sprite’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name or the “new plant”. The new plant was the result of a cross of Phlox subulata ‘Apple Blossom’ (not patented) as the female or seed parent and an unnamed selection of Phlox procumbens as the male or pollen parent is unknown performed at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. on Mar. 31, 2014. The new plant was given the breeder code 14-308-5 prior to naming and throughout subsequent evaluations at the same nursery. ‘Rose Sprite’ has been asexually propagated by stem cuttings in the greenhouses at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. since 2016. The unique characteristics of the new plant have been found to be reproducible and stable in successive generations of asexually propagated plants and the resultant plants have been found to be identical to the original selection.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Phlox ‘Rose Sprite’ is unique from its parents and all other hybrid creeping Phlox or other Phlox known to the inventor. The new plant differs from the female parent, ‘Apple Blossom’, in that the female parent has more narrow, near-white petals with reddish marks near the center, the habit is shorter, and the growth rate faster and less manageable in the landscape. The male parent is taller and looser in habit and the foliage is larger, broader and more pubescent. The closest comparison cultivars known to the inventor are the copending application Ser. No. 16/350,550 Phlox ‘Magenta Sprite’, ‘PPPHL0604’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,703 (‘Britney’), ‘PPPHL07101’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,007 (‘Lindsay’), ‘PPPHL07201’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,854, PPPHL07301′ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,702 (‘Angelina’), PPPHL07201′ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,705 (‘Paris’) and ‘PHL090401’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,852 (‘Levine’). ‘Magenta Sprite’ has a smaller white halo in the center of the flower and the petal color is more magenta pink. ‘PPHL0604’ is taller in habit, has flower color that begin a bright pink with white center eye and lacks dark purple markings near center. ‘PPPHL07101’ is slightly taller in habit, the petals begin a strong purplish red and lack the center purple markings. ‘PPPHL07301’ is taller in habit and has flowers that have a near-white eye zone and petals of a medium purple. ‘PHL090201’ has a slightly taller habit, the flower petals are narrower and dark lavender colored. ‘PPPHL070201’ has slightly taller habit and the flowers are violet-blue with a dark eye. ‘PHL090401’ has slightly taller habit and the flowers are lavender with narrower petals.

‘Rose Sprite’ differs from all other Phlox known to the inventor in the following repeatedly observed traits in combination:

-   -   1. Plants of short mounded habit, slowly spreading by short         rhizomes, producing clean, glossy, clean green, lanceolate to         linear leaves;     -   2. Showing exceptional powdery mildew resistance;     -   3. Multiple branched, wine-colored stems produce rounded mounds         of flowers starting in mid-spring;     -   4. Faintly-sweet fragrant flowers on mounded stems of about 14.0         cm tall;     -   5. Flowers are rose-pink with dark purple markings in the center         and developing a white eye zone;     -   6. Flowers densely cover nearly the entire top of the plant;     -   7. Flowering about one week after typical Phlox subulata         cultivars.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of ‘Rose Sprite’ and the overall appearance of the plant at two-years-old grown in a full-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plant in peak flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers of different ages and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Phlox ‘Rose Sprite’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year-old plants in the full-sun trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid; -   Parentage: Female or seed parent Phlox subulata ‘Apple Blossom’ and     the male or pollen parent an unnamed selection of Phlox procumbens; -   Plant habit: Densely-mounded, winter-hardy, herbaceous perennial,     producing branched stems and early spring flowering; with foliage to     about 8.0 cm tall and about 38.0 cm wide; densely flowering about     one week after typical Phlox subulata cultivars and continuing for     about 4 weeks; -   Propagation: Stem cuttings; rooting in about 14 days; -   Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: About 12 to 14     weeks; moderate rate of growth; -   Root: Primary roots to about 1.0 mm thick; secondary fibrous and     freely branching; color creamy white to tan depending on soil type     and root stage of development; -   Leaves: Simple; opposite; lanceolate to linear; entire margin;     narrowly acute apex; truncate base; sessile; slightly folded; -   Leaf size: To about 29.0 mm long by about 6.0 mm wide, average about     18.0 mm long by about 5.0 mm wide; -   Leaf surfaces: Matte and sparsely puberulent adaxial and matte and     puberulent abaxial; -   Leaf color expanding: Adaxial nearest RHS 137B distally and RHS 145A     proximally, and abaxial nearest RHS 146B distally and nearest RHS     146D proximally; -   Leaf color at flowering: Adaxial and abaxial base nearest RHS 145B     and adaxial proximally nearest RHS 137A and abaxial proximally     nearest RHS 146B; -   Foliage fragrance: None detected; -   Veins: Pinnate; glabrous adaxial and abaxial; midrib about 0.5 mm     wide at base, slightly sunken adaxial and raised abaxial; color     proximal adaxial midrib nearest RHS 146C, abaxial midrib same as     surrounding leaf tissue, other veins not noticeable; -   Petiole: Leaves sessile; -   Stems: Cylindrical; flexible; strong; pubescent; proximally rosulate     and distally decussate; average about 9.0 cm long and 2.0 mm     diameter at base; -   Stem color: Lower portion covered with leaves, distally nearest RHS     N186C in areas receiving high light exposure; -   Nodes: About five per stem in branched peduncle region and 30 to 40     in lower portion; average internode length about 0.5 cm; -   Node color: Nearest RHS N186C; -   Inflorescence: A loosely-branched compound corymb of about 22     flowers; about 8.0 cm long and 6.0 cm across; -   Flowers: Perfect; salverform with flat face and long fused corolla     tube; actinomophic; typically with five petals; attitude upright to     outwardly; -   Flower size: About 22.0 mm across face and 21.0 mm long to exserted     stigma; corolla tube about 15.0 mm long and about 2.5 mm diameter     below face; -   Flower longevity: About 5 days; self-cleaning; -   Flower fragrance: Lightly sweet; -   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate, to     nearly clavate; acute apex with convolute petals; base fused; about     18.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter in tube base and swollen to 4.0 mm     diameter toward apex of convolute petals; -   Bud color: Exposed petals nearest RHS N81D and distal 2.0 mm of     exposed tube more grey than RHS 83B or RHS 86B; -   Petals: Five; limb obtuse, apex rounded and emarginate notched to     1.0 mm deep; base fused into tube; margin entire; abaxial limb     glabrous and tube micro-puberulent, adaxial limb glabrous, adaxial     tube glabrous except pubescent in 2.0 mm portion between 2.0 mm and     4.0 mm above base; broad white halo in center 3.0 mm of face with     two dark purple marks, about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm wide; -   Petal size: Basal 15.0 mm fused into corolla tube, to a diameter of     about 2.5 mm; limb face about 8.5 mm across, and face about 10.0 mm     long; slightly imbricate toward center; -   Petal color: Adaxial face center between RHS N74C and RHS NN74C with     white center halo nearest RHS NN155D and two dark purple marks of     nearest RHS 79B; abaxial limb between RHS 75A and RHS 75B with     center halo nearest RHS NN155D; adaxial corolla tube base nearest     RHS 145D and distally nearest RHS 79C; abaxial base nearest RHS 145D     and distally nearest RHS N82D and proximally and above base more     grey than RHS 79C; -   Androecium:     -   -   Filaments.—Typically five; adnate to adaxial inner corolla             at various distances of 7.0 mm to 13.0 mm from base; free in             terminal 0.5 mm; color nearest RHS 76C.         -   Anther.—Five; oblong elliptic; basifixed; longitudinal;             about 1.2 mm long by 0.5 mm wide; color between RHS 23C and             RHS 23B.         -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 23A. -   Gynoecium: One pistil per flower; to about 20.0 mm long; superior;     -   -   Style.—Cylindrical; about 19.0 mm long and about 0.2 mm             diameter; color nearest RHS 145D in basal one-third and             transitioning to nearest RHS NN155A in distal one-half.         -   Stigma.—Trifurcate in the distal 1.5 mm, less than 0.2 mm in             diameter; persistent after flower abscission; color nearest             RHS 8C.         -   Ovary.—Superior; globose with acute apex and truncate base;             about 1.5 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; color nearest RHS             143A. -   Calyx: Tubular to campanulate; adpressed to corolla tube in proximal     half and reflexed distal in distal half; to about 7.5 mm long and     8.0 mm wide at apex; -   Sepals: Five; linear; narrowly acute apex, margin entire; basal 3.0     mm fused; surface matte and glandular abaxial, lustrous and glabrous     adaxial; individually about 10.0 mm long and 1.0 mm wide; -   Sepal color: Abaxial nearest RHS 137D; adaxial nearest RHS 137B with     light blushing of nearest RHS 83D in strong light exposure; margins     nearest RHS 158D; -   Peduncle: Pubescent; flexible, strong, mostly upright; cylindrical;     flowering portion about 6.0 cm long and 2.0 mm diameter at base of     flower branches; branches to about 5.0 cm long and 2.0 mm diameter     at base; typically five flowers per branch; -   Peduncle color: Variable; nearest RHS N144D in low light exposure     and blushed with nearest RHS 183C in regions of high light exposure; -   Pedicel: Terete; pubescent; variable lengths from about 6.0 mm long     and 15.0 mm diameter; Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 146C with variable     blush of nearest RHS 183C; Fruit and seeds have not yet been     observed; -   Hardiness and culture: The new plant grows best with plenty of     moisture and adequate drainage; prefers full sun but tolerates light     shade; is hardy to at least from USDA zone 3 through 8. -   Disease and pest resistance: Phlox ‘Rose Sprite’ demonstrated the     excellent resistance to powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe     cichoracearum under conditions of intense pressure that would     normally show symptoms. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of hybrid Phlox plant named Phlox ‘Rose Sprite’, as herein described and illustrated. 